Pallet



NOV. 4, 1947. 0, ARTHUR 2,430,267

PALLET Filed May 18, 1946 3 SheetsSheet 1 as +1 N INVENTOR Oscme F. 6' THUE.

ATTORNEY New. 4,, 1947., 0, ARTHUR 7 2,430,267

INVENTOR Oscme F. HRH/we.

ATTQRNEY Nov. 4, 1947.,

0. F. ARTHUR PALLET Filed May-18,1946

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Oscax? F. flRTHI/E.

Patented Nov. 4, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PALLET Oscar F. Arthur, Connellsville, Pa.

Application May 18, 1946, Serial No. 670,751

8 Claims. (Cl. 248-120) My invention relates to pallets or portable Platforms, such as those utilized in stacking and handling shipping cases and other articles, Such structures are designed for use with trucks having lifting fork; or tongues projecting forwardly thereof for movement into position beneath the pallets to lift them and to transport them from place to place, as well as to stack them on one another. I

This application constitutes an improvement upon the pallet structure described and claimed in my application Ser. No. 611,332, filed August 18, 1945, the improvement residing primarily in the fact that the present pallet is foldable or collapsible when not in use, in order to facilitate storage thereof and the shipment of the empty pallets.

Another advantage of my invention is to provide a pallet of great strength for a given weight of material and one which, although it is '001- lapsible, can be as firmly supported in load-receiving position as previously known pallets of various forms which have not possessed the advantage of being foldable.

Figure 1 is a plan view of my pallet; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view thereof, on an enlarged scale and with certain parts in section; Fig. 3 is a side elevational view, on an enlarged scale, at one corner of the pallet; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the structure of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is an end view showing the pallet parts in position to receive a load; Fig. 6 shows the positions of various parts with the pallet in partly collapsed position, and Fig. '7 is an end view of the pallet when in completely compressed or folded condition.

The pallet structure comprises a deck portion having a top series I0 of heavy wires or rods welded to a lower series of rods H. The base portion of the pallet consists of a series of longitudinally-extending rods i2 formed as shown more clearly in Fig. 2, and base plates l3 that extend crosswise of the base rods H2. The base plates have tongue-like extensions at their ends bent upwardly and backwardly at points where they are connected with the rods E3, to form knuckles M that embrace the rods l3 that are located at the longitudinal edges of the base, the

plates also extending beneath the intermediate longitudinal base rods 12. The plates, intermediate their points of juncture with the rods l2, have ribs it formed therein to stifien them. Also at the points where the plates I3 cross beneath the intermediate rods, tongues l5 are struck upwardly from the ribs l5 and are bent over the adjacent rods l2, as shown more'clearly in Figs. 5 and 6. The top faces of the plates will directly engage the bends in the rods and the lowermost planes of the rods I2 and the plates will coincide (Fig. 2). The rods l2 have pivotal or rocking movement on the plates to permit of collapsing the pallet as hereinafter explained.

At each corner of the pallet, two pairs of legs I1 and [8 are welded near their lower ends to two of the base rods I2, these rods l2 being bent upwardly and backwardly as shown at I!) in Figs. 2 and 3 and'the bent-back portions welded to the legs l Yokes 22 are welded to certain of the longitudinal rods ll adjacent to the various legs I1 and I8 and intermediate legs 23 and 24, the lastnamed legs being welded to certain of the rods l2 in the same manner as the legs l'I-l8.

Longitudinally-extending rods 26 are welded to the sides of the legs at points spaced substantial distances below the upper ends of the legs and extend through the yokes 22, as shown more clearly in Figs. 3 and 5, there being vertical lost motion between the yokes and the rods 26.

When the pallet is in use, the deck l0-ll will rest upon the rods 26 and be thereby verticallysupported by the legs l'|l82324. At this time, the legs will beheld against collapsing, notwithstanding the pivotal connections of their base rods l2 to the base plates, by reason of the fact that the upper portions of the legs wil1 engage against the sides of adjacent deck rods l0 and the rods 26 bear against the sides of the yokes 22. When a load has been removed from the deck'iU-H and the deck raised until the loops of the yokes 22 engage the lower sides of the rods 25, the deck will have reached such height that the wires H] are entirely above the upper extremities of the legs, whereupon the deck can be folded down against the base members i2 and I3,-past the position shown in Fig. 6 to the completely folded or collapsed position shown in Fig. '7, thereby enabling the pallets to be packed or storedcompactly when not in use.

In order to prevent accidental raising of the thereby hold the deck against vertical disengaging movement relative to the legs 23 and their bars 26. The latching plate is held in its vertical position by a latch bar 33 that is pivotally connected to the plate, and when in its vertical position will pass between the legs i8 and can then be turned to its horizontal position as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, to lie across the adjacent legs l8 and thereby releasably hold the plate 28 in its operative position.

Upon turning the latch bar 22 to its vertical position, the plate 28 can be swung back as indicated in dash lines in Fig. 3 and folded down to the base. Thereupon, the deckcan be raised as above explained to move the deck wires l clear of the legs and allow the pallet to be folded. The plates 28 serve also to brace the legs in their upright positions because, when latched in. place as in Figs. 1 and 5, their vertical edges engage the inner sides of the adjacent legs I1--l 8, thus firmly holding the pallet against collapse under load.

- I claim as my invention:

1. A pallet comprising a deck portion, a base therefor, legs pivotally carried by the base and having pivotal connections with the deck to support the same, means providing for relative limited vertical movements of the deck and the legs, at their points of pivotal connection, and stop means for resisting pivotal movements at said connections, when the legs-are upright and the deck is in its lower position thereon.

2. A pallet comprising a deck portion, a base therefor, legs pivotally carried by the base and having pivotal connections with the deck to support the'same, means providing for relative limited vertical movements of the deck and the legs, at their points of pivotal connection, stop means for resisting pivotal movements at said connections, when the legs are upright and the deck is in its lower position thereon, and means for releasably latching the deck in its said lower portion on the legs,

3. A pallet comprising a deck portion of lattice form, base bars, base elements extending transversely of the bars and supporting the bars for oscillatory movements thereon, legs secured to the base bars for oscillatory movement therewith, the upper portions of the legs extending into the mesh and having lateral engagement with certain of the mesh elements, horizontal supporting bars rigidly secured to the legs in position to supportthe deck when the legs are in elevated position, and vertically-shiftable lostmotion connections between the legs and the deck, the range of movement at such points of connection being suflicient to permit lifting the deck to a plane above the upper extremities of the legs, and the connections being pivotally movable when the deck is so raised, to permit movement of the legs toward horizontal positions.

4. A pallet comprising a deck portion of lattice form, base bars, base elements extending transversely of the bars and supporting the bars for oscillatory movements thereon, legs secured to the base bars for oscillatory movement therewith, the upper portions of the legs extending into the mesh and having lateral engagement with certain of the mesh elements, horizontal supporting bars rigidly secured to the legs in position to support the deck when the legs are in elevated position, vertically-shiftable lost-motion connections between the legs and the deck, the range of movement at such points of connection being sufilcient to permit lifting of the deck to a plane above the upper extremities of the legs, and the connections being pivotally movable when the deck is so raised, to permit movement of the legs toward horizontal positions, and means for releasably latching the deck against lifting movement relative to the legs, when the deck is supported upon the second-named bars.

5. A pallet comprising a deck portion, a base therefor, laterally-spaced legs arranged in pairs and pivotally connected to the base and the deck. and a plate pivotally connected to the base, on an axis transverse to the axis at which an adjacent pair of legs are connected thereto, the plate being movable into position between the adjacent legs ;when they are in upright position, to brace the 1 axis transverse to the axis at which an adjacent device for releasably holding the plate in its bracing position.

'l'. A pallet comprising a deck portion, a base therefor, laterally-spaced legs arranged in pairs and pivotally connected to the base and the deck, a plate pivotally connected to the base, on an axis transverse to the axis at which an adjacent pair of legs are connected thereto, the plate being movable into position between the adjacent legs when they are in upright position, to brace the same against pivotal movement, and a latching device for releasably holding the plate in its bracing position, the bracing plate partly overlying one side of the pair of legs and partly extending between them, and the latching device engaging the opposite side of said pair when the parts are in operative position.

- 8. A pallet comprising a deck portion, a base therefor, laterally-spaced legs arranged in pairs and pivotally connected to the base and the deck, a plate pivotally connected to the base, on an axis transverse to the axis at which an adjacent pair of legs are connected thereto. the plate being movable into position between the adjacent legs when they are in' upright position, to brace the same against pivotal movement, a latching device for releasably holding the plate in its bracing position, means for supporting the deck for vertical movement on the legs when they are in upright position, and stop surfaces on the deck and the legs that are interengageable with one another when the deck is in its lower position on the upright legs, to resist pivotal movement of the legs on the base.

OSCAR F. ARTHUR.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATESVPATENTS Name Date Anthony Feb. 23, 1915 Number 

